Hundreds of patients who stayed overnight for treatment at Epsom and St Helier hospitals took part in a survey led by watchdog the Care Quality Commission.

The results of the polls were published earlier this month and revealed that 71 per cent of respondents rated their care as eight out of ten or better, 94 per cent thought their room was clean, 80 per cent had confidence in the doctors caring for them and 85 per cent said they were given enough privacy.

Pippa Hart, chief nurse at Epsom and St Helier hospitals said: "It’s our job to make sure that each and every patient who comes to our hospitals – whether they have a life-threatening illness or have broken a wrist – receives the very best of care in their hour of need.

"We see approximately 95,000 patients each year who need to stay with us overnight. Keeping them safe and well-cared for in a warm and welcoming environment is our absolute priority, and we are delighted to see that reflected in these results.

"The Care Quality Commission's survey is a vital opportunity for NHS patients across the country to have their say, and for hospitals like us to build on and learn from their feedback.

"Hearing what our patients think of our services is very important to us, and over the coming months we’ll be drawing up an action plan to tackle the areas where we could have done better.

"Those areas include making sure our patients can find a member of staff to raise concerns with (should they have any) and ensuring they can speak to their doctor when they choose to."